How to View Saved Directory Service, DNS Server, and File Replication Service Event Logs from Another Windows 2000-Based Computer

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SUMMARY

Windows 2000 Event Viewer includes three new event logs:

Directory Service event log

DNS Server event log

File Replication Service event log

The Directory Service and File Replication Service event logs are only exposed in Event Viewer on Windows 2000 domain controllers. The DNS Server event log is only available on DNS servers. Windows 2000 Event Viewer automatically recognizes any active event logs on a computer.

NOTE: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Event Viewer (and earlier) ignores any logs other than the Application, Security, and System logs.

MORE INFORMATION

To view these event logs over the network:

Click the Event Viewer (Local) folder.

On the Action menu, click Connect to another computer.

Click the computer name for the domain controller or DNS server to expose their event logs.

If the domain controller or DNS server event logs are not available using this method, follow these steps:

Save the event logs by clicking the event log you want, and then clicking Save Log File As on the Action menu.

Load the logs on another computer by clicking Open Log File and then clicking the file that you saved. This action requires that you specify a log file type. You can select any of the existing log types, but the event categories and descriptions are either not found or are incorrect.

This procedure is only confirmed to work in Windows 2000; it is not supported in Windows NT 4.0 and earlier. The procedure does not work in earlier versions because earlier versions do not recognize the new log types. To work around this behavior:

Put the event log files in an accessible share on a computer running as a Windows 2000 domain controller or DNS server that has its own copy of the event log file you are trying to view.

On the computer that you are using to view the event log files, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

Right-click Event Viewer, and then click Open Log File.

In the Log Type box, click the appropriate log type.

In the File name box, type the full path of either a universal naming convention (UNC) path or a logically mapped drive. This path must include the file name that you want to read.